Before sunset in the afternoon, the carriage and horses traveled to the post house five miles outside Antao County, because the post house was not large, only ten to dozens of people lived, and only a few powerful people in the Son of Heaven and his party could stay in it, and there were tiles covering their heads, and soldiers and guards and palace maids needed to camp and rest outside the post house.

When approaching the outside of Andao County, Liu Yu had already got off the carriage and rode to the front of the team, and Hu Liangcheng, the county guard of Andao County, had already led the officials of Andao City to wait outside the post house.

Liu Yu from a distance saw some people wearing official uniforms and standing in two neat rows of people who looked like dogs, and when they were approaching, Liu Yu did not get off the horse, and rode directly over, opposite these people, Liu Zhao, the Marquis of Dingguo, arranged the security matters around the post house, and came over with some impatience to make a look at Liu Yu, with the arrogance of the Marquis of Dingguo, he disdained to report to Liu Yu as a subordinate, and just told Liu Yu in this simple way that everything was arranged.

The current one of the officials is just a middle-aged man who is sturdy, and he does not have a feeling of wealth, but the official uniforms of his subordinates are brighter than those on his body, as if they are worn out or deliberately dirty and unwashed. Liu Yu jumped down from his horse, and this person stepped forward and knelt on the ground, shouting: "Chen An Dao County is too shou Hu Ying, please give peace to His Royal Highness King Lin." ”

The officials behind him also knelt down and saluted, which was really more respectful than saluting the Son of Heaven.

Liu Yu has met with a lot of magistrates along the way, and only Antao County has done such a full number of gifts, and the officials in other places do not dare to be too public, and even the gifts are secretly handed over to Liu Yu's personal guards, that is, Lu Chuer. Lu Chuer will turn around and hand over the gift to Liu Yu.

Liu Yue has never cared about these etiquette matters, but since people understand etiquette so well. Liu Yu can't be too hasty. After letting them get up according to the rules, they asked, "You are Hu Liangcheng?" ”

The middle-aged man stepped forward and saluted, "Exactly." Chen's ancestral home is Guanzhong Hui County, his surname is Hu Mingying, and his word is good. Ren Andao County is now a year and four months. ”

Liu Yu is not the Son of Heaven, and Hu Liangcheng calls himself a minister, which is also extremely respectful. Judging from his series of actions, Liu Yuguang belongs to the kind of "extremely sensible" magistrate, who knows how to cater to high-ranking officials who come and go.

Liu Yu waved his hand and said, "Okay, I've greeted it." I also met, if there is nothing to do, Hu Taishou can go back first, this time His Majesty's Luan Jia did not stop in Antao County. ”

Compared with the favors of Hu Liangcheng and the magistrates of Andao County, Liu Yu's attitude is very cold, his face is covered with ice, and he doesn't give any face. Liu Yu also did it deliberately, usually such officials, the more they met officials who did not give face on the surface, the happier they were, this is the difference between the surface and the private, people with good bodies do not need to deliberately put on a show.

Hu Liangcheng, who had a hot face and a cold buttocks, was not disappointed. On the contrary, he was a little happy in his heart and said: "The passage of the Son of Heaven is a blessing for the people of my Andao County." I wonder if I can personally bow to the Son of Heaven and pay homage to the dragon's face? ”

It is the wish of most Shun Dynasty people to see the Son of Heaven, and Liu Yu doesn't think so, but Hu Liangcheng's request is a bit excessive, he is just a county guard, and he wants to take the initiative to meet without being summoned by the Son of Heaven, which is not polite.

"Hu Taishou, you sent a gift to His Majesty, His Majesty has already received it, as for the wronged by seeing Tianyan, I'm afraid this king can't agree to you. His Majesty occasionally felt unwell and didn't want to see some irrelevant people. ”

Liu Yu's face was cold and sarcastic, Hu Liangcheng was rejected so stiffly, and there was no other reaction except for showing a little disappointment.

"Then welcome His Majesty and His Royal Highness King Lin to stay in the post house."

Hu Liangcheng bowed down and made a gesture of invitation, Liu Yu nodded, and led people into the post house first. In this matter, all the original officials in the post house were driven out of the post house and replaced with guards and palace maids in the line.

Liu Yu inspected the post house, and when he looked back, he saw that almost all the officials in Antao County were gone, leaving only Hu Liangcheng still wandering around the door, Liu Yu smiled secretly in his heart, he was also familiar with the things on the scene of these officials, and Hu Liangcheng would never leave if he didn't finish the courtesy. In the places where Liu Yu passed by before, people didn't want to give gifts, Liu Yue would try every means to give him the opportunity to give gifts, and this time it was Hu Liangcheng who wanted to give gifts, but Liu Yue didn't give him the door.

For different people, Liu Yu uses different methods.

"Hu Taishou, why don't you go back?"

Liu Yu slowly inspected it inside before coming out, and asked Hu Liangcheng with a little surprise.

Hu Liangcheng said respectfully: "His Royal Highness, the minister...... The minister thought, since His Majesty the Emperor does not want to enter the city, please give me face to the king. The minister prepared a banquet in the city, wanting to fulfill the friendship of the landlord. ”

Liu Yu thought that Hu Liangcheng would directly send him off with a "slight gift", but he didn't expect to invite him to the city for a banquet.

The inn is about five miles away from the county seat of Antao, and it is okay to go in and leave the next day, but according to the etiquette, he is accompanied by the Son of Heaven on his patrol, and he should not have a separate contact with the magistrate in private. It doesn't matter if the magistrate greets him, but now he wants Liu Yu to take the initiative to leave Tianzi Luan and his party and enter the city alone.

Liu Yuxin said that Hu Liangcheng should investigate very clearly, whether the Son of Heaven is important or Liu Wen is serious. Ordinary people's etiquette is to let Liu Yudai transfer it to the Son of Heaven, but only Hu Liangcheng is ready to bribe him openly.

A corrupt official who is bold and careful.

"It's hard to be gracious." Liu Yu sighed, "Hu Taishou will go back and prepare first, and this king will go to invite His Majesty first, and then go to the city in person." ”

Liu Yu couldn't come and disdain to have dealings with these corrupt officials and corrupt officials, but he felt that he was simply sorry for the people of the Dashun Dynasty if he didn't cheat this huge amount of corruption.

When Hu Liangcheng left in a hurry, Liu Yu went back to tell the female dependents, including Qi'er and Xu Xuanzhu, who were a little reluctant on their faces, after all, Liu Yu wanted to enter the city which meant leaving them, and the days and nights of the past few days had made the family unable to leave for a moment.

"Since the husband thinks Hu Liangcheng is a corrupt official, why do you still have dealings with him? Just push him, go back and check him again, and let him return all the looting of the people. Xu Xuanzhu couldn't help but ask after being the most embarrassed.

"If you don't loot some on the road, where will you get the military money to finalize this war in the south?"

After Liu Yu finished speaking, Xu Xuanzhu was stunned, she didn't expect that her husband would take bribes and make money along the way in order to raise military expenses.

"It shouldn't be much...... Xu Xuanzhu thought for a while.

"Madame guessed wrong, you see ......"

Liu Yu took out a large stack of silver tickets from his arms, each of which was the lowest one for a thousand taels, and the highest one was even ten thousand taels of silver tickets. All of them add up to more than 300,000 taels, which is a staggering amount.

"That's not enough." Liu Yu sighed, "How much silver, how big a battle we can fight, if the silver is not enough, we can only solve it in a small area, and then rely on diplomatic means to solve the problem." ”

What Liu Yu said was a little profound, except for Xu Xuanzhu's general understanding, Qi'er's mother and daughter and the Han sisters were all at a loss, and they didn't know what Liu Yu said.

"Husband, go early and come back early." Xu Xuanzhu didn't keep it anymore, but just said with a little bit of his wife's affection for her husband before parting.

Liu Yu nodded, got out of the carriage, first arranged for a group of people to live in the post house before coming out of the post house, and was about to take the guards on the horse to Antao County to make an appointment, Liu Zhao came over in military uniform.

"Where are you going?" Liu Zhao didn't say hello when he came over, and asked directly.

And beside Liu Zhao, it is Liu Ding, the seventh son of the Liu family, Liu Ding went to the north with Liu Zhao to fight against the Turks when he was a teenager, and this time Liu Zhao came out and only took Liu Ding alone.

Liu Yu said: "Father, brother, I'm going to Antao County for a trip." ”

"Go with me for the father!" Liu Zhao said coldly.

Liu Yu smiled bitterly in his heart, originally Liu Zhao thought that Liu Yue was taking the Son of Heaven to fight in the south, so he asked Ying to go with him, who knew that the Son of Heaven and his party were moving slowly along the way, as if they were playing in the mountains and rivers, which made Liu Zhao, who was eager to fight, quite dissatisfied. Now that Liu Yu is going to the meeting alone, he naturally wants to go to see what Liu Yu is doing.

"My father is also responsible for guarding His Majesty, so I'm afraid it's not suitable for me to leave." If it is soft, Liu Yu has no choice but to say things according to the rules.

Sure enough, as a soldier, Liu Zhao could only sigh, knowing that what Liu Yu said was true, Liu Yu was just an "accompanying prince", and it was okay to enter the city on behalf of the Son of Heaven, but Liu Zhao, who was a guard general, must be loyal to his duties and never leave.

"Let your seventh brother go with you, don't say no!"

Liu Zhao's tone was not to discuss with Liu Yu at all, but to ask Liu Yu to agree. Liu Yu nodded and said, "Then Brother Lao has come with me." ”

Liu Ding was stunned for a moment, he was forced by his father, and he could only get on the horse and walk with Liu Yu.

It is only five miles from the post house to Andao County, and it will not take half an hour to ride a horse slowly, Liu Yu has a lot of guards, and he has called the local garrison to be dispatched at any time. Along the way, Liu Yu also instructed Liu Ding twice, mainly to ask him not to talk casually, just to be a guard who followed him.

Liu Ding kept nodding.

Although Liu Ding is a few years older than Liu Yu and has already started a family, because Liu Ding was also born to a concubine, he originally had no status in the Dingguo Marquis' Mansion, and he was silent on weekdays. This is especially true after joining the army. Liu Ding belongs to the old-fashioned type of man who does things in a conservative way, if he hadn't been discovered by Liu Zhao when he was young, maybe he would still be eating idle meals in the Dingguo Marquis' mansion.

Liu Ding didn't understand the rules of the scene at all, and he just nodded what Liu Yu said, and tried to remember what Liu Yu said, so as not to lose face at the banquet for a while.

The group rode to the west gate of Andao County, Hu Liangcheng took the officials to wait outside, and the people of Andao County were also crowded in the direction of the door, as if they were looking forward to it.

When I saw Liu Yu and his entourage, the city gate immediately sounded like a festival, with gongs and drums and firecrackers, and the lively scene was like a festival. (To be continued......)